NEWS – MAY 19

A New Era FOR EDENBRIDGE

As of the 1st April, Grace Community Church (Edenbridge, UK) has become a church that is now officially financially independent from its parent church. Planted out from New Life Church in Biggin Hill in September 2015, Grace Community Church has established itself in the Kent town of Edenbridge, about ten miles south of Biggin Hill. Here is the church’s report of their journey…

Dave &  Sue White were prompted to make the move after a  number  of prophecies from different people. They had already spent ten years in China and five in Tajikistan, so were no strangers to hearing from God and acting on what He told them to do. The core of people who moved with Dave and Sue from Biggin Hill was soon joined by others from Regions Beyond churches and by people already living in Edenbridge, who had been praying for a Spirit-filled church to be established in their town. The church is small (numbering about 25 adults) so everyone has to ‘muck in’, but it has made excellent links with the community. After a prophecy from Trevor Payne (who has agreed to give apostolic oversight to us) the church has faith for 50 by the end of 2019.

As the name suggests, Grace Community Church wants to work within the local community. Sue regularly takes assemblies in the local primary schools, and does after school kids’ clubs. The church is also involved with a cross-church teenage group. Some of the older members run prayer and discussion meetings in their sheltered accommodation. The church also runs Alpha courses, the Bible course, and house groups. Links with other local churches are excellent, and GCC has by invitation become one of the Edenbridge Churches in Covenant. A parish nurse is employed by this group of churches, and there is a community café and a food bank in the town that the church supports.

It’s also exciting for us to be part of the wider Regions Beyond family and we have links with work in several other nations including Mexico and China. A small church with a big vision! A recent prophecy said that a couple will come to GCC to be a pillar and support in its next phase. If you feel that this may be you, or if you are interested in seeing if God is calling you to this church, then do contact us. We are also looking for a volunteer intern (from the UK or abroad) to serve with us and be trained and mentored in their walk and calling from God. So, any interest in being with us, standing with us in prayer or being an intern: please do get in touch! dave.white@gcceden.org

…and a New Era for Africa!

Paul and Shannon Simpson (South Africa) write:

Hi to our wonderful Regions Beyond Family,

For those of you who missed the Marathon feedback session, we would love to share some exciting news with you, that we really feel is going to catapult us into the “new era” God has for us in Regions Beyond, Africa.

In January 2020 we, together with the Nichols family and a phenomenal bunch of church planters from across South Africa, will be launching a church plant into Merrivale, Pietermaritzburg, KZN (which we are trusting will be an apostolic base church that will train and release indigenous church planters to reach our entire continent) and 7 Springs Training centre (a training Hub to dream with, connect, mobilise, strategise and equip leaders from around our Regions Beyond family).

We have been privileged to witness some incredible growth in our African family, with many new church plants and church planting opportunities over the last number of years. This has resulted in a massive need to train leaders from across the continent, to steward the work of God amongst us, and see healthy, mature, word-based, Spirit-led, grace-filled, vibrant, self-propagating church plants among us. The harvest is indeed white and the need for humble, Spirit-filled leaders, who are equipped with strong foundations, biblical values and practical theological training is critical, to see the church in Africa thrive and go against the tide of prosperity teaching, legalism, syncretism and self-gain theology. We are hoping to have a video-link up in the centre to access many of the diverse teaching gifts we have in Regions Beyond.

Thank-you to all of you who gave towards the training centre in Marathon. Please continue to pray for us, for all the families who are relocating in the next couple of months and for all the logistics of building this training Hub. And if God stirs you, please join us for the launch in January 2020!

With Much Love in Christ,

Paul & Shannon